Anyone done a spring trip to Mt Columbia?

[Cpt.Caveman]

The one in Alberta..

 

How many days did it take?

[Off_White]

Check with Bill Pilling, I think he and Mascioli did one quite awhile ago.

[fern]

I did a 5 day trip over an Easter Weekend. 1 day drive from Vancouver, 1 day approach up Athabasca Gl, 1 day storm/Snowdome, 1 day Mt. Columbia, 1 day ski out and drive home. We ascended the gaper routes, mostly on skis.

[jordop]

Total hit or miss. I spent five days in a tent in May of 2000, whiteout -30*C most nights. Got shut down 100' from summit by brutal winds, navigate down Athabasca by GPS.

 

The next year a buddy blitzed the thing in May and it was like +30*C, short sleeves and anything.

 

As the saying goes, if there's a cloud in the sky in Lake Louise, it's shitting on the icefield, or something like that

 

Hey Ray, where did all your photos and TRs go on bivouac.com

[jordop]

Shite weather. This was a *colour* camera

[Cpt.Caveman]

Thanks Jordan.

 

I erased all my photos from bivouac.. Tivy commented that I was not allowed to contribute new mountains to his databse after I proved my due to acknowledge location by many forms.

 

If that is supposed to be a giving website it - well it really isnt. His remark was that only certain people were allowed to add to the database. Which is his reliance on many peaks.

 

Not sure why he told me that but in retrospect I dont support his website at this point. It seems they are more in tune to show everyone a photo if you are from the states.

 

Enough said at this point.

 

If you want to see any of my photos I would be happy to email them post them and supply information for free.

 

Robin Tivy is so encased in numbers he has forgotten about facts related to reality of human trips.

 

For that reason I am done there.

[jordop]

Yeah, I and others have run into similar problems on that site: the needs of climbers for CLIMBING info, vs, the geek factor of data mngment. there are some non-climbers (one mainly) who have taken it upon themselves for some strange reason to completely revamp everything, shit they know SQUAT about. It's a shame, I've put a lot into it at times. But think how DREW must feel it's what keeps him going

[Cpt.Caveman]

Dru argues.

 

I protest by deletion.

 

It's obvious they dont care unless you are part of their crew...

 

 

[Off_White]

Sad to hear that about Bivouac.com, they used to be one of the best examples of a data-only site.

 

I realized that when you said "Columbia" I assumed you meant North Face (due to my own obsessions), so Bill Pilling's info may not be applicable. They had a trip like Jordan's, complete with running out of food and being overdue.

[stinkyclimber]

Yah, I skiied Columbia with Fern, although we started on separate trips. What she says.

 

After having driven all the way to the Rockies a bunch of times at different times of the year for ski trips, I have decided that May is the best time for trips there (just like here). We went to Columbia, like everyone else, on Easter weekend and it was COLD. Screw that. My best Wapta traverse trip came in late May. Lots of corn to be harvested then, instead of weeks old powder on top of depth hoar in the winter.

 

Contrary to the belief of lazy, sport climbing Calgarians who are already clipping bolts in May, who think there is no skiing after Easter, there is actually still plenty of snow left up high. And the weather is almost always better, certainly warmer. So fuck doing the winter thing: wait till May and you will have the icefield and the mountain to yourself (not that it is ever busy...it is a BIG place). Depending on the snowpack, the crevasses may be a bit more of a problem, but they can be a problem in the middle of the winter too.

 

If you are there in decent weather, skip Snowdome as a "rest" day ascent (the epitome of endless snowslope...the summit is indescernible), and instead think about the Twins - longer, but shit, then you can say you have climbed the North Twin, and let others think, "maybe he did the one of the North Face routes...what a badass"). Either that or Castleton, just to the south...it looks cool.

[Cpt.Caveman]

thanks stinkyhead and fern.

 

 

[salbrecher]

I did it last year as a 4 day trip from Vancouver in April. 1 day drive and ski to top of athabasca glacier, 1 day to trench, 1 day summit and back to trench, next day ski out and drive home. We had ropes, pickets, and 7 days food. We didn't rope up or place a single picket. The good thing about that route is that you can pretty much move to the trench with good route finding or a gps in really shitty weather since it's so strait forward. However, the trench is guarded by some pretty massive slots on either side.

[Cpt.Caveman]

Thanks for the details stefan. I may not go but it's my buddies idea. We'll have to see how it goes and if he can get some time off this spring to go.